Not Without A Fight (Unfinished)
by clapback
Summary: When the aspiring athlete Danny Caplan learns about the tournament to cast the next mascot of the Spring Gym, he believes that he finally has his big shot to be finally recognized by the famous ARMS League. But as the saying goes, the ARMS Grand Prix is for dreamers. Spring Man origin story, headcanon driven, features OC x Canon. Please read the preface!
1. Preface

It's been sometime since I last posted a story. Life has gotten busy for me, as I started college this autumn and it's been consuming a lot of my free time for writing. I've wanted to update and post stories as regularly as I was earlier this summer but unfortunately it seems I'm not good at managing my time. I still have several stories planned out, mostly one-off pieces, but Not Without a Fight was one of them I started around the same time I was beginning college. Honestly, around the time I last wrote something for it I figured it would be done sometime in late fall. As you already know from the title, this story is very much unfinished. This was my first time trying to tell a chaptered story that ran over the course of several months (or even a year) in its universe. Truth be told, I'm far better at silly one-offs than something like this. Rereading it again there's a lot of elements about this story I like but I think ultimately I got overly ambitious.

If enough interest is expressed about this particular story I might start updating it. But as of now, I'm publishing 'as is'. Rated T for some violence and minor language.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

 _I'm the biggest idiot in the history of idiots._

That was Danny's only thought as he faced down his opponent. His foe was a massive man to the point it felt like he was casting a shadow over the young boxer. His competitor growled as he raised his dukes, preparing himself to fight. Danny nervously gulped and tried to shake away any reluctance he was feeling. Deep down he knew he wasn't ready for this kind of fight. The guy looked like he'd crush him with one mere hit! But worrying wasn't his style – he convinced himself he could do it. He wasn't sure how, but in some way he was going to power through. He readied his hands and stood in his battling stance. There was a moment of anxious silence and then the bell rang. The eager crowd jumped from their seats and began to cheer. The fight had officially begun.

The behemoth was the first to strike. Danny quickly hopped to the man's side, dodging his powerful punch. His opponent turned to look at him as a confident smile crossed his face. In that glimpse of brief confusion Danny smacked him upside the chin. The man stumbled back and braced himself against the ropes of the ring. Danny paused, surprised by the impact that he just caused. His competitor wiped his nose with his arm and saw that blood was already trickling down. He glared at him, roaring in anger. Danny's eyes widened and he braced himself. He felt he already a pretty good tactic. Just keeping dodging his attacks and hit the man by using his blindside. However, it had only just begun and it was too soon to assume a specific outcome.

Using the stretchy ropes, his foe lunged himself back into the battle. The young fighter sprung to the side of the ring. The man stopped himself abruptly, looking back at him. Danny readied his right hook and was preparing to sock him again until the unthinkable happened. When he threw his fist, his arm began to uncoil from its fleshy shape and morphed into looking like a spring. It went by his opponent with incredible speed, even reaching to the other end of the ring. He paused in shock as his eyes widened. At that moment he felt his left arm act similarly as it twisted downwards. His arms were failing him and they became limp as his boxing gloves hit the ground. Danny scrambled and moved his shoulders around wildly in an attempt to get some kind of response from them. It was already too late as his combatant began to pummel him without hesitance. The world became a painful blur as eventually Danny fell to the ground, quickly losing his consciousness. He passed out near immediately and the fight was already over.

"Kid, wake up," A voice spoke, "You've been out cold for close to half an hour. Everyone's left."

The referee was nudging the young man's side with his foot. Danny opened an eye and looked around his surroundings. Every inch of his body felt like it was in pain. He groaned as he slowly sat up, hearing his bones faintly crack with the mild movement. He attempted to open his other eye and flinched. Even the process of doing that hurt slightly. While there was no mirror in sight, he didn't need one to know that the damage against his eye was going to leave a nasty and noticeable shiner. As he gained awareness he looked at the direction of where he heard the voice. It was one of the sponsors of the fight who currently looked greatly displeased in him.

"Here's your mask," He dropped it beside the boxer, "And the money."

Along with the protective gear he placed the stack of cash beside it. Danny grabbed the red mask and tied it at the back of his head. His unusual arms uncoiled with ease and went back to their original shape. He opened and closed his fists to make sure he was gaining back the circulation in them. After everything checked out, he reached for the money. His heart sank after realizing the amount he had. It was an even fifty bucks. He was expecting a lot more, regardless if he won or not.

"Uh, hey," Danny wasn't sure how to phrase the question, "Is this right? I mean, is this all I'm getting?"

The sponsor rubbed his tired eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. He then put his hands on his hips and looked at him with a small glare.

"Yes," He answered bluntly, "Not many people bet on you and I can't say that I blame them."

Danny frowned and looked away. The backer then realized his words were rather harsh. Regardless, he felt that it needed to be said to the newcomer.

"Look kid, it really shouldn't come as a surprise," He replied, "You can't win in a fight like this with those arms of yours. There's already a sport for people like you, join that one."

But that was the problem, it wasn't that easy as he assumed it was. His words seemed to be an attempt to comfort him but it accidentally caused the opposite effect. Danny had nothing more to say to the man, he sadly took the money and left. He sat in his car, aimlessly looking up at the sunroof while the radio faintly played. It was becoming increasingly obvious to the athlete how difficult it was to get recognized for anything. He had lost count of how many times he's felt like he has risked his life to catch the attention of the ARMS League just once. Of course, they knew he existed. Since developing the condition when he was only ten years old he had become the most loyal fan any sport would want. Of course, the organization wasn't just that – they also existed to help those with the peculiar and rare condition. That's how they knew Danny as his mask was an officially licensed ARMS regulator. But if you asked anyone that wasn't diagnosed with it about the League they would probably just reference the sport.

Danny breathed in and let out a quiet sigh. His disappointment wasn't about the money or his unusual condition. It was the fact that he has worked so hard to even get to this point, but his attempts remained fruitless. He knew he had the talent to become a professional ARMS fighter, even a minor one. A voice in the back of his mind kept telling him to quit. It was easy to ignore at first, but with the trail of defeats he couldn't help but to consider it briefly. He leaned back into his chair and wondered if he took the worst route to get his career started. Who was he kidding? That was something else he was aware of but denied for some time. His overzealousness caused him to make some stupid choices – like convincing himself that he could successfully take down able bodied opponents. He didn't want to give up, that wasn't in his nature. As he watched the rain fall onto the windows of the car he thought about taking a break, only a small one though. He could hang back for a while, focus on taking care of himself and make some kind of plan. It sounded great in theory, but simple planning was something else that just wasn't in his nature.

He knew he could sit there and feel sorry for himself until the sun came up. His dazed expression became a determined scowl as he twisted his keys and turned the car's motor completely on. It was fairly late at night, making the city have a small lull in traffic. Arriving back to the apartment was an easy feat. The real challenge was getting into his home quietly. As he left his car and looked up at the building, he noticed that the lights were off. This gave him a sense of confidence – he can easily get in without being detected! Regardless, when unlocking and opening the door he tried to be as quiet as possible. He opened it slowly, peering into the dark room. He entered the apartment and gently closed the door. Now he just had to quickly leave the front room, head into the hallway and enter his bedroom without making a sound. He made one step forward and then the lights turned on. He jumped back and let out a shocked yelp, covering his eyes from the surprise.

It was his mother that turned on the lights. She was standing near the entrance way of the kitchen with her arms crossed.

"Where were you?" She asked, not taken back by his startled reaction.

Danny opened his eyes and blinked. He frowned briefly as he continued covering up his new black eye.

"I had a late shift," He grinned awkwardly, "I guess some people get _really_ hungry at 12 am." He shrugged.

His smile quickly faded as he saw no change in his parent's expression. She merely narrowed her eyes.

"Alright," She replied, "Why are you covering up your eye?"

Danny then panicked internally. His mind was grasping at straws trying to come up with a believable explanation as his mother began to approach him. She grabbed his currently weak arm and moved it aside. She gasped and then looked at her son angrily.

"You went to one of those fights again!" She raised her voice.

He flinched at the intensity of her tone before attempting to explain himself.

"It's not that big of a deal," He quickly replied, "It's not the best gig, but I made some money off of it." He forced a smile again.

She let go of his arm and looked at him sadly.

"Not that big of a deal?" His mother fired back, "Your eye is swollen and it's turning purple, Daniel."

Around the small holes of the mask you could see a little of the skin of whoever was wearing it. Even with an obscured look the wound was noticeable. He understood the seriousness of the conversation when she didn't refer him by his more commonly used nickname. The young man put his hands in the pockets of his hoodie as he looked at the carpet. She looked at him sadly. She knew that what she was saying he didn't like nor did she enjoy yelling at him. She reached for her son and gave him a loving hug.

"You can't keep doing this," She spoke gently, "One day you're going to experience something far worse than a black eye."

As much as he didn't want to admit it, she had a point. His mother broke up the hug and then tenderly held his head as they looked at each other. She gave him a concerned smile while he returned a halfhearted one in an attempt to be polite. His smile didn't last long. She gave him a curious look as she let go of him.

"You know," She mused, "I think I have some shades of concealer that would cover up that perfectly."

Danny moved away from her, slowly making his way to his room.

"Thanks," He spoke tiredly, "But no thanks."

The blinds of his window were currently hiding the view of the city. He put them up, took off his shoes and then flopped onto his bed. Where his bed was positioned gave him a clear look of the surrounding neighborhood. He couldn't help but to star up at the sky – it had a calming aura with the rain. Danny sighed quietly and looked away, covering himself in the warm blankets. He wanted this terrible night to end, but at the same time he dreaded what tomorrow was going to bring. With his body feeling exhausted and the soothing lights of the city it didn't take long for the young man to fall asleep. Being in a metropolis unfortunately you didn't have the best view of the stars. That night however there were several of them decorating the sky, glowing faintly. Before fully falling asleep, a thought came to Danny's head. There's a million, billion, even a trillion stars scattered across the universe but they all shared something: all of them came from nothing and became something eventually.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Danny was sprawled out on his bed, sleeping soundly. His arms uncoiled during the night, with one stretched down to the floor while the other was bent in a C-shape with his hand near his head. His right leg was also sticking out from where he was lying. It was sunny but not a cloudless day. Through the small gaps in the clouds the sun's light hit one of the nearby building's windows. It created a strong gleam that landed on his face. He groaned and attempted to cover his eyes. But with his arm currently in its spiraled shape it did very little to hide the harsh flash of light. He slowly began to wake up and yawned. He turned towards his nightstand. He didn't set his alarm clock last night, accidentally causing him to over sleep. It was a little past twelve now. He sat up and noticed his body still felt incredibly sore, possibly a little worse than it did after the fight. However, as he was stretching he also noticed that he didn't feel as emotionally defeated as he did yesterday.

His room was a complete mess. While Danny was often a very motivated person, he did have a lazy streak in regards to cleaning. Clothes were scattered everywhere in random piles. There was even a pair of pants and one single sock hanging from the ceiling fan. He also had athletic trophies he won back in high school located in various places. All of them were on display, but placed randomly with no real time line. If he could find or manage to make some free space on his drawers or his desk, that's where they would go. He wasn't bothered at all by the clutter. Danny got up from his bed, reposition his mask and morphed his arms into their regular shape. His eyes then met with the posters that were hung up his walls. The oldest one he had was of the ARMS League commissioner and the legendary champion, Max Brass, while his newest was of the star studded actress known as Twintelle from her movie, _Fast Proof._ Off to the side was one of the fairly well known ARMS mascot Spring Man – it was something of a prerequisite for an ARMS fan to have some kind of merchandise representing him in the city he lived in. Both the Spring Gym and Stadium made their homes there. When he felt a little discouraged or the sport wasn't in season, he often looked at them for encouragement. They were his heroes, after all.

After he left his bedroom he immediately went to the kitchen. The house seemed unusually quiet. On the fridge there was a purple sticky note with a message penned by his mother.

 _Got called into work early today. I probably won't see you until 7. The crock pot's cooking dinner and will be done around 5. Love, Mom._

There was a heart flourish at the end of the note. Danny looked at the crock pot. It had a clear lid, making it easy to check how the meal was going. It appeared to be some kind of beef dish. He didn't recognize it, but it smelled promising enough. A sense of sadness briefly washed over him. He felt bad that that he was glad that his mother would be away for the majority of the day. He wasn't in the mood to have a heart-to-heart with the woman about his career. He knew it was inevitable, but he was somewhat relieved that he had some time to prepare some counter arguments and statements beforehand. He wasn't in the mood to preoccupy his mind with those thoughts as well. He was still wearing the outfit he had on yesterday and thought he was long overdue for a nice, relaxing shower.

Danny removed his red mask before bathing himself. The warm waters helped his sore muscles to loosen up and generally feel better. After finishing up, he began to prepare himself for his day. A smirk appeared on the young man's face as he looked at himself in the mirror. It was the first time in his life where he has ever had a black eye. He had somewhat of a baby face – a natural, boyish look to him. He couldn't help but to think he actually looked a little tough for once. Danny was handsome, but he was something of a required taste. A lot of his uniqueness seemed to be connected to his ARMS condition. His hair was always curly and he was a brunette prior to developing it, but the curliness only intensified and oddly enough became a light blue afterwards. He attempted to comb it but his hair sprung back into that pompadour-like shape. It didn't bother him much; he liked it a lot despite the silliness of the look. His arms were also a similar shade of blue with red stripes around its ridges.

He had a lanky build as well. Despite this, it was obvious that he was fit and muscular from his training. It was important for someone with the compliant to regularly exercise. An ARMS regulator mask could only do so much. Lifting even the smallest of weights helps to control the coiling ability. Without either, they would keep shifting into those two shapes to the point the arms would be completely unusable. Danny always viewed himself as being lucky in that regard. He had some trouble when he was first diagnosed, as any patient would, but as he got older he rarely had any problems. The only hang ups he had were long periods where he didn't wear his mask, which lead to his arms springing out madly and to his devastating defeat from the other night.

After getting himself ready for the day he grabbed his athletic bag and left the apartment. The events of late yesterday kept playing in his mind. Perhaps if he wasn't so eager to land a hit maybe it could have played out differently… He wasn't sure. His mind was active with potential outcomes and strategies. The small family only had one car which his mother took to leave for work, which left Danny his only choice to jog and then take the subway. That's what he normally did regardless if it was available or not. He always put a heavier emphasis on working out his arms rather than his legs. He felt that a quick but intense running session helped balance out his training. Speaking of which, that's what he was leaving to do – have a session and possibly get some advice at the Spring Gym.

The Spring Gym was one of the landmarks and practically the headquarters for all things ARMS for the city. Its main focus was to provide services to those with conditions that required specific exercises. The gym was originally intended for those only with the ARMS condition but as the years have gone by it has become more inclusive. Most of that change came from Sean Reynolds; the current person that was representing the gym's mascot Spring Man. Danny was never sure what to make of him. Naturally living in this city for the entirety of his life he regarded himself as a fan of the athlete; possibly just on the principle they shared the same hometown. Others felt differently, even citing him as a disappointment. While he would deny it Danny understood and even agreed with the criticism slightly. Earlier in Reynolds' career, long after he established himself as Spring Man, he attempted to give the Grand Prix his all. He unfortunately didn't get too far. By his third fight in the tournament he was already defeated. It left many fans disappointed and it changed the course of his career. While he still kept the famed title of Spring Man, he never did any public battles again but continued going to other ARMS events unrelated to the sport side of the phenomenon. Danny struggled to understand why he decided to quickly give up on the competition. Possibly the rivalry was too intense for the man.

Despite some of the controversy surrounding the man that was currently portraying their mascot, the gym remained popular. It had a friendly atmosphere and the prices for memberships were affordable enough. It was a large building divided by two floors. The ground floor was for general exercise, but the other was for more specialized training. As Danny was walking up the stairs, he stopped to look at the wall behind the front desk. Normally there was some kind of advertisement for the gym decorating it. Several maintenance workers were carefully peeling off the biggest poster they had on display. It was one of Sean Reynolds as the Spring Man character which read, ' _The man every man wants to be_ '. The top of the poster then curled over and covered the rest of the design. Danny merely shrugged, then continued to find his trainer.

He eventually found him in the break room. The area was off to the side and presented itself with a couch, a small eating area along with a fridge and a microwave. It was a convenient place to take a breather as it was also fairly near the gym's showers. It was only moderately busy by the time Danny arrived. It seemed that most of the gym's audience and coaches left for lunch rather than eating here. As for his instructor, he was minding his own business. He was eating a simple sandwich while watching a video on his phone. The man was so invested with what he was viewing that he didn't even notice his student entering the room. Once he noticed his coach Danny looked at him with a big grin. He stretched out his arm to grab the sofa and used his hold to hop over it with relative ease.

"Hey, Mr. Von Gomm!" He greeted somewhat loudly, "Do you know what they're doing with the posters?" He then slightly nudged his head to where they were located.

The man jumped in his seat after being said hello to. He looked at him with wide, startled eyes as his mouth was also full of food. Danny snickered faintly, not expecting that kind of reaction from him. He then gave him a concerned but still somewhat amused expression.

"Geez dude, I'm so sorry," He quickly added, "I thought you knew I was here."

His trainer regained his calmness and then slowly swallowed the bite he took of his sandwich.

"It's no big deal," He replied as he wiped off his mouth, "They're doing some kind of renovation from what I've heard."

There was a pause in the conversation. Mr. Von Gomm looked at his student, examining his bruised face.

"Where did you get that battle scar?" He asked curiously, faintly narrowing his eyes to better focus on it.

Danny's shoulders drooped as his friendly grin became a frown. He knew that it was noticeable but he kind of hoped it was only his mother's eagle eyes that immediately made her zone in on it. However if it's easily seen in a dimly lit room in the middle of the night, it must be pretty bad.

"Yeeah… About that," He stretched out his opening word, "That's kinda why I'm here."

He then sat himself on the chair that was at the other end of the table where his coach was eating at. Danny struggled to form his thoughts into a cohesive sentence. He knew whichever way he was going to express it that he was going to look bad in the story. He let out a sigh and braced himself. Regardless, it was better to be honest about how he got his shiner than anything else.

"I got into one of those fights," He spoke reluctantly, "Like, the kind that looks like the mafia probably rigged it and… I didn't win. I think I only survived for little over a minute. At least that's how it felt."

The man immediately looked disappointed and opened his mouth as if he was about to speak, but the athlete quickly stopped him.

"Before you get mad at me though," Danny continued, "Nothing's changed. I'm still at the same place you saw me last week. I thought that _maybe_ if I won just a round I'd get the attention of a sponsor or something."

His instructor's expression softened to a small frown. He did understand the kid's frustration.

"It's hard being an ARMS fighter," Danny added, "I've trained for years and everything's came up fruitless, aside from a few trophies and belts from back when I was in school. When's my big break, huh? I mean, these dukes are pretty top notch." He finished jokingly.

Whenever his emotions got a little too real for him, Danny would always finish with a small joke to put up a lighthearted front for his true feelings. The young man didn't like feeling this way about his biggest passion and his career. He flexed his right arm confidently to give his joke a bigger affect. He added a little too much pressure to it and then suddenly overheard a faint laugh. He looked at his arm and saw it transformed itself back into being a spring, hanging downwards pathetically. Danny looked over his shoulder to where he heard the reaction. He locked eyes with a girl who was standing by the fridge. It was only a giggle that slipped from her lips; she looked away from him in an attempt to hide herself. Danny did the same, his face looking a little red from embarrassment. Despite his awkwardness it did feel nice to make a girl laugh, if only a little. He went back to his conversation he was having with Mr. Von Gomm, who was leaning back into his chair with his arms crossed.

"It takes longer for some athletes to get recognized," His trainer said, "Do you really think Max Brass started the ARMS League in a day?"

"No, the history of the League is a little more complicated than that," The boxer replied, taking his question literally, "He was already a fighter prior to developing the condition in his 30's, then he got control of the ARMS Ministry, it became the ARMS League and then he transformed it into what it is today – though that's a pretty brief description of what all happened."

He then continued to ramble on about other various trivia and facts about the current champion's career and the history of the sports company. The coach didn't let him finish, eventually starting to talk again when a lull happened in his ramblings.

"Okay, so that wasn't the best example," He said, "But the point I'm trying to make is that this field isn't instantaneous, even if it feels that way to those who aren't in the sport. Look at it this way: you're young and you still have your whole life ahead of you. You still have plenty of time to get recognized."

With a frown Danny sank into his seat, "Patience is a virtue," He mumbled, still feeling somewhat discouraged.

After their conversation the eager athlete did a small training session. It wasn't anything complicated, all it was throwing hits at a punching bag. Some might say it would be mindless but Danny always enjoyed it. He felt with each successful punch he was getting more and more in tune with his ability. Not only that, he also felt when he was doing something repeatedly his mind was the most active. Truthfully it wasn't an exercise that took a lot out of him – it was only to ensure that his arms stayed strong and healthy. His spring-like arms gave the bag a powerful punch that made it swing side to side. He paused, watching it sway as he panted faintly.

His trainer grinned, "Hey, nice hit!" He complimented, "You see, if you keep that up instead of risking your life you're bound to get noticed eventually."

An idea then sparked into Danny's mind. He stretched out his arm to grab a nearby towel, wiped his forehead and looked at him.

"What if I fought other ARMS fighters as practice?" He spoke with a strong sincerity in his voice, "Y'know, other rookies like me?"

Mr. Von Gomm fell silent for a moment. Despite their most recent conversation, he wasn't sure how to respond to that.

"Well, I guess that can be arranged," He answered, "But I have to warn you, I don't think there's that many people out there willing to fight a complete newcomer. It's a very specialized sport."

Danny frowned after hearing his response. Everyone knew that the ARMS condition was a rare one. Because of this fighters were sparse and hard to come by. The only notable ones were featured in the League's Grand Prix. Despite the notoriety of the gym there were very few of its customers were willing to make a career out of their exercises – they were just here to either get in or keep their shape. It seemed that all the known fighters of the ARMS sport had their own specific training they kept with. And as for the ARMS League itself, they weren't going to pick up any kid from off the street and just start training them.

"Actually, there's something I've been meaning to show you," His coach mused as he took out his phone from his jacket, "This was what I was watching earlier. It looks like the ARMS Laboratories are working on some sentient punching bags."

He then gave Danny his phone and the video began to play. It showed footage of some unusual, gelatinous creatures that were grey in color. Their arms were in a helix-like shape and they were equipped with various weapons used in the sport. They were rather unnerving to watch. They moved around like they were truly alive, but nothing about them felt real. Despite this the creatures appeared to know how to fight. They could punch and throw training bags with no challenge. However as the video continued, it also showed that they could be easily defeated. One mild hit would make them loose form and land on the floor as unconscious slime, with the LED eyes on their masks remaining to blink. Mr. Von Gomm's description of them were apt. They were easily the strangest creation that the ARMS Laboratories have been tied with in a long time. Another odd detail about them was their unusually cryptic name: the Cell.

"Huh, weird," Danny said with an air of disbelief, "I read some rumors about some of their new projects but none of them even came close to this."

He then gave the phone back to his coach.

"I know, right?" The trainer replied, "I can't say I'm a fan of their design, but it looks like they're trying to make professional Grand Prix-level training more accessible to the masses."

The athlete's eyes lit up hopefully.

"Wait," He smiled, "Is there any chance you can get these guys in the Spring Gym?"

Mr. Von Gomm shrugged. His expression didn't look the most confident – he honestly wasn't sure what to make of these guys.

"Well, I guess I could ask around," He scratched the back of his head, "Though I wouldn't be surprised if everyone tells me no. Their… goo, I guess, looks like it leave some kind of stain or film on the floor."

Danny was incredibly excited with this development. It wasn't entirely the one he thought he wanted, but it felt like a step into the right direction for once. At least fighting them would make him better prepared to challenge a real ARMS opponent. Out of pure joy he hit his punching bag, making it sway more than ever.

"Nice!" He beamed, "This is going to be _great!"_

His trainer appreciated the enthusiasm but he also felt the need to remind the kid about reality again.

"Hey," He frowned, "Don't get your hopes too up – there's a pretty high chance that they're not going to ship these Cell guys here."

Regardless of his warning, the young athlete remained enthusiastic about the idea. Danny spent the rest of his time at the gym training and casually chatting with his trainer. He regarded Mr. Von Gomm as a friend even though the relationship has always been professional. He met the man as a teenager shortly after getting the idea of becoming an ARMS fighter. Mr. Von Gomm had worked with other athletes in the past, so he never viewed Danny as being something different. Truthfully training him ended up being a little more difficult than he initially expected – not only his passion towards the sport could be tiresome, but also the health concerns for his condition. For the coach it was like learning about and then teaching a whole new style of boxing. Danny was always respectful to him though, understanding that Mr. Von Gomm had his own life outside of being an instructor and that he also had his own family. The fighter didn't know much about them. They all seemed close and happy though, which was something he wished he had more of in his own.

As the sun was beginning to set, Danny said his goodbyes and left the gym. He leisurely made his way back to his mother's apartment in a good mood. Similar to last night, once he entered he found his parent in the kitchen. She still had her work clothes on as she was preparing a serving of the beef dish that had been cooking in the crock pot for the majority of the day. She turned to look at him when she heard the door shut. She gave him a smile though her son remained cautious.

"Been to the gym?" She asked, looking at his clothes.

Danny looked at himself. His red athletic bag was what gave it away.

"Uh," He wasn't sure how to answer, "Yeah?" He said awkwardly.

The woman put her plate onto the table and then sat down. There was a lull in the conversation – it was as if they were waiting for whoever was brave enough to address the elephant in the room first.

"Daniel," She began, "We need to talk."

Naturally it was her. He let out a sigh and then sat himself on the free chair in the kitchen. He slumped in his seat as he braced himself. It took a moment for her to properly begin, debating eternally of how she wanted to phrase her thoughts out loud.

"I don't know how to express this, but bear with me," She said, "I'm so glad you have a passion… You found something that you really enjoy. But I can't help but to think that maybe it's better as an interest or just a hobby."

Danny raised an eyebrow curiously.

"What do you mean?" He immediately asked.

"There's so much more you could be doing with your life," His mother explained, "Just because you have those _arms_ doesn't mean that fighting is the only thing you're capable of."

Another awkward pause in the conversation soon followed.

"You understand that, right?" She frowned.

He understood it completely, but in a different way than what she seemingly intended.

"You're afraid of me getting hurt," He replied, "But everyone eventually gets hurt when playing sports. Remember when we found those sport blooper themed VHS tapes at that second hand shop?"

"I remember," She sighed and clasped her hands, "I think you're limiting yourself. I… I also believe that maybe it's time to peruse a different career."

Now _that_ was something he strongly disagreed with. His mother never did understand his love for the sport. It was something he truly wanted to be a part of, even if he just has his fifteen minutes of fame.

"What?" He nearly exclaimed, "You really want me to give up?"

She then began to slightly glare.

"Look Daniel," She raised her voice, "We don't have that much money and all of your income is going to that gym that hasn't helped your career in the slightest."

Now the both of them were angry. Danny reached into the pockets of his hoodie and took out his wallet, placing the fifty bucks on the table with some force.

"I didn't give it to you because it was so late," He countered, "But I did get something out of that fight."

His mother looked legitimately surprised by the money. She picked it up and counted it. It wasn't much; however any cash flow was welcomed in their household. Danny rose from his seat and began to storm off, but before he retreated back into his room he poked his head into the entrance of the kitchen.

"And hey, my coach is trying his best to get some jelly guys for me to fight," He added somewhat childishly, "And it's going to be awesome!"

He then went to his room. His mother continued to look at the money, unsure of what to do with her son and his dreams. She began to worry about him in a new way now – his last statement sounded like complete nonsense to the woman. Maybe she really was worried for his health; it feels like he's been hit in the head one too many times.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Several days has passed since Danny's last training session and it was now Friday. It was also late summer as well with some of the city's trees were beginning to develop its autumn colors. Many kids and teenagers were expecting to start school soon, which left many of them wanting to have some last minute fun before starting up their studies again. Adding all these factors together made nearly every pizza place in the city rampantly busy with orders. The restaurant's main dishes were cheap and convenient for their customers. For Petrozzi's Pizza, it's been the busiest they've been all month. The owners somewhat expected it, however the restaurant was considered something of an overlooked gem for its neighborhood. Perhaps its building had seen better days, but the quality of the food has remained consistently good and its fans loyal.

For Danny however, his gig there he viewed almost as a dream job. Pizza was his favorite food – he loved everything about it. Thanks to his employee discount he could have it whenever for fairly cheap. He had been steadily working as a pizza delivery boy for several years. The wage left a lot to be desired, but he was fine with that. Despite the amount of time he has had with the job he viewed it as temporary. The owners were lenient enough with his hours that he still had time for his training. But with how this afternoon was playing out there was no wiggle room for any breaks. Danny was just returning from delivering five meals to the same house as he entered the restaurant.

"Hey Dan," One of the cooks emerged from the kitchen, approaching the counter, "We got two more pizzas for ya."

She then threw them towards his direction. This initially caught him off guard, quickly stretching out his arms to catch them. He set them on the counter and opened their boxes to check if they were okay. One was a simple Neapolitan styled pizza, while the other one was a new variant they recently added to the menu. They called it a Pizza Bianca – it featured cheese sauce with garlic flavorings as a substitute for the more commonly found tomato sauce. Danny had yet to try it himself, but it smelled delicious. It almost looked like it was some kind of fancy garlic bread.

His co-employee then handed him a note, "They're going to different addresses," She explained, "But they're both roughly in the same area though."

With his instructions, he promptly left to deliver the food. The neighborhood he arrived in had some distance from his own. It was outside of the city's most popular college, which students seemed to be the majority of who was living there. Danny never had the opportunity to further his studies outside of high school. It was something that his mother greatly wanted him to have, but with both of their income combined it still would have been difficult to make it happen. As for her son he didn't have any strong feelings towards it – he was never a bad student but one that would get distracted easily by other plans. His grades were only decent enough to just pass. He did sometimes wonder what college life is like, especially when he was present in an area full of occupied dorm rooms.

The first stop he made the Neapolitan pizza was going to a two story building. It looked like an average family home that was converted into a casual dormitory. A young man opened the door, immediately took the pizza and hastily handed him the money before shutting the door with a slam. Danny quickly moved back from the building out of surprise because of his blunt intensity. He heard what he assumed was the same individual announce that their meal had arrived, with cheering from his guests following shortly afterwards. It seemed like they were preparing to have a party. Danny adjusted his hat and went back to his car. He couldn't help but to roll his eyes and frown at that brief interaction – a mere one dollar tip would have made it significantly more pleasant.

The other pizza was to be delivered at an apartment-like duplex building. It was another dorm, but it seemed quieter and more personal than the others he had seen. He checked his note again and read that it needed to arrive to room 307, which luckily for him was on the first floor. Danny knocked on the door rhythmically and prepared to greet the customer with a friendly smile. His expression faded slightly when he saw who opened the door – not that he was upset, but it was another surprise.

"Hey," He blurted out, "You're that girl from the gym."

She looked at him curiously. He then felt a little awkward, not wanting to make her feel bad.

"Um," Danny continued reluctantly, "You kind of laughed at me." His shoulders faintly slumped.

He thought that maybe he shouldn't have brought that up but then her eyes then widened – his comment seemed to trigger her memory.

"Oh, yeah! We did see each other," She replied, "Sorry about laughing; I didn't mean anything by it. I just thought it was-"

She too seemed be fumbling with her words. It took her a moment to finish her sentence.

"Funny, I guess," She finally continued, "I wasn't making fun of you, honest. I hope I didn't offend you." She frowned.

He smiled slightly after hearing her response. She did seem truly apologetic just a little unprepared. Besides, he felt he would be a hypocrite to get angry at her for laughing. There's been many times in his life where he's gotten into some trouble for laughing at something he found funny, regardless if it was intentional or not.

Danny shrugged, "It's no big deal," he then handed her the box, "Anyway, here's your pizza. It's twelve dollars and forty cents."

She took some money from her pocket and then counted it. He noticed it was the same hoodie she was wearing the first time he saw her. Of course hoodies aren't uncommon or anything odd, but he remembered her outfit that day looking like it wasn't suited well for a visit to the gym. Even what she was wearing currently seemed too warm for August. She was a rather unique looking young woman as well. She was tall, but somewhat chubby. The features of her face were hard to determine thanks to the large circular sunglasses she was wearing. Perhaps it was deliberate on her part, but with those and her long sandy blonde hair it hid a good majority of her face. She put the money aside and then took the pizza, placing it on the side table near the door.

"Thanks," She responded, "Give me just a moment, I don't have enough."

Danny didn't think much of it, "No problem," He replied, "Take your time."

He put his hands into the pockets of his jeans. The door to the dorm was wide open, making him accidentally peer inside. The little apartment was rather cluttered with art supplies and scattered pages. It seemed like an organized mess though – the notebooks and pencils were all gathered in the same area. Danny felt incredibly nosey after realizing he was looking inside of her home, he took a step back and began to look blankly around the hallway. The girl came back with some extra cash and handed it to him, along with the money she counted earlier.

She gave him a smile, "Sorry about that," She said, "I forgot to add up a tip."

Danny looked at the dollar bills and change, adding it up in his head. She gave him an extra five dollars, the most generous tip he's received his whole shift.

"Awesome, thanks!" He grinned, "Well, enjoy your pizza!"

He gave her a short, friendly wave before making his exit. Before he made any distance away from the door she grabbed his attention again.

"I realize this might be a little forward," She began, "I'm Dawn Schneider by the way."

He stopped and looked at her for a moment before realizing she was introducing herself. It felt a little sudden. He didn't think anything of it though, he liked meeting new people. He turned back to face her, coiling his arms and stretching one of them to give her a hand shake.

He felt a little dumb but remained jovial, "Danny Caplan," He replied, "It's nice to meet you."

Dawn briefly looked a little taken back by his ability. She quickly shook it off, giving him a friendly shake. His springy arm slightly bounced along with the movement.

Dawn returned a smile as she let go of his hand, "You too. I moved here recently to start college," She explained, "Everything's been hectic and I haven't taken any time to explore the city or to get to know anyone aside from meeting a few professors. It's also the first time in my life ever living alone so, it's exciting but a little scary too." She chuckled, doing an exaggerated shrug after finishing her comments.

"I get that," He replied, "You're braver than me – I still live with my mom."

The two then laughed at his finishing sentence and small joke. A slightly awkward lull appeared in the conversation after their laughter subdued. Danny was quick to break the ice again.

"Hey, if you ever need any info on the city I'd be happy to help," He offered, "Or if you want to chat at the Spring Gym any time. I'm there several times a week."

"Yeah," She smiled, "That would be great actually – I can get out of my shell for once."

And that's actually what ended up happening. Despite their initial awkwardness, the two hit it off. Dawn was a pretty cool person to be around after he got to know her. While she was busy transiting into her college life, she would visit the gym with a frequent regularity. She kept company as Danny awaited to her something from his trainer. Mr. Von Gomm hadn't vanished completely, but it was beginning to feel that way in the gym. He explained to him that a lot was going on with the gym behind the scenes, including some meetings he was expected to show up to. Naturally Danny asked him what was going on but unfortunately he was unable to answer in great detail. He expressed that he wishes he could, but that info was currently 'top-secret' as he described it. Without a proper coach Danny on his own continued his exercises.

"I realize I've only been here for a few months," Dawn started, "But the gym doesn't look any different. Maybe just a little barren of posters or advertisements."

"I know, right?" Danny replied, "I'm not sure what's up. I can't shake away the feeling that it's something serious or big."

He then moved back from the punching bag, coiled his arm and punched it. He then did it again with his other fist. It felt surprisingly natural to him but he quickly realized that there was much more he needed to work on. Sure, this was easy against a simple piece of equipment but an actual ARMS fight was far more complicated than just punching rampantly. What tools you use, shielding, and grabbing and throwing your opponent were all important factors. Regardless, he continued to stand back from the bag and punch from a distance. Dawn watched curiously as she was keeping a steady pace on the treadmill she was renting. She had known about ARMS for some time but this has been the first for her knowing someone with the condition. She couldn't think of much of a response concerning the gym, but she was curious to know more about him and his condition.

"I hope you don't mind me asking," She spoke, "When did your arms transform?" She asked curiously.

Danny stopped, looked at her, and then looked at his arms. They were currently in their coiled shape.

"These?" He replied, briefly making them jiggle, "I was only a kid – around 10 or 11 I think. Most of it is kind of a blur now. All I remember is that I had a lot of doctor appointments that winter."

An amused smirk then appeared on his face as a memory came back to him.

"It took a while, but I came to realize that they were pretty cool," He explained further, "Though I remember the Bar Mitzvah my mom threw for me being super awkward. A lot of my extended family had no idea what happened. A lot of them thought I was going through some kind of rebellious phase with my hair." He chuckled faintly.

Dawn snickered to his story as well.

"Yeah, that does sound like a pretty weird family reunion. Though I have never heard of one working out the way the host planned," She replied, her voice trailing off slightly, "So, you're really serious about becoming an ARMS fighter, like a professional one?"

He gave her a big grin.

"Yeah, dude!" He answered enthusiastically, "It's the coolest sport around. If there is one thing I really remember after being diagnosed is that I watched so many reruns of past Grand Prix events. I feel like I have studied about every – both former and current – fighter's style. I bet I could take down most of them if I was just given the opportunity."

Danny stretched out his arm to grab a nearby water bottle. He was about to take a sip before Dawn began speaking again.

"I'll give you this: your passion is efficacious," She replied, "Forgive me, I have one more question and then I promise that's the last of them, but how do you cope with loosing? I can imagine that being pretty difficult to go through."

He fell silent. It was something he honestly had to think about for a moment – it wasn't a question anyone has ever asked him before.

"Earlier I talked about stuff I can't remember very well," He began, "I would definitely put most of my science classes in that group."

Dawn raised an eyebrow curiously, wondering what he was leading up to.

"But, I remember my teacher talking about physics and the science of how we feel objects," He continued, "Her explanation really stayed with me but I'm pretty sure for not the reasons she intended. Anyway, you know when get really close to something you don't actually touch it?"

She shrugged, "Sure."

"Here's my way of looking at it: if I'm thinking that everything might just come to blows," Danny said, "It won't, because it actually can't. And also, all that matters is that you keep improving your own skills which I'm trying to do regularly." He finished with a smile.

She looked surprised by his response, but also charmed at the same time. He didn't look like the kind of guy who would remember that kind of info – but even he said it himself it was his own way of seeing it.

"Nice," Dawn replied, "I like it a lot. I think that's a pretty good mentality towards life in general."

Danny approached her and put his arm on the display of the treadmill, resting his head on the palm of his hand. He looked at her with a curious, if not somewhat mischievous grin.

"Aright, enough about me," He said in a jokingly smooth tone, "What are you going to college for?"

His elbow accidentally pressed one of the buttons on the device's dashboard. The machine let out a beep and his eyes widened. He quickly pressed it again in an attempt to fix whatever he did. Dawn just gave him a mildly amused expression. She was still walking at the same speed. He looked embarrassed briefly but he rested his crossed arms on the display and rested his head on them, far away from any of its controls.

"That's a good question," She frowned, "I'm still trying to make up my mind on that. The most logical choice for me is to get some kind of art degree but… I don't know. I'm not really feeling it."

"Why not?" He immediately asked.

"I've been drawing ever since I was a kid," Dawn explained, "I always viewed it as a fun hobby than anything else. I'm afraid if I study it or try to get a job relating to it, all the enjoyment I have with it will go away. I feel at the very least I can just get an associate of arts degree and do something else for my major one."

She didn't sound very confident with her response. It appeared as if it was something of a sore subject for her. Danny noticed this, so he didn't press on with the questions about it.

"I get that," He replied, quickly going to his next inquiry, "How was the Pizza Bianca?"

It took her a moment to realize what he was asking.

"Oh – it was great!" She answered, "White pizza is my favorite kind of pizza. Not many restaurants in the area make them surprisingly."

"Awesome," He replied, "I've yet to try it, but I'll order one soon after your glowing recommendation."

Dawn then laughed briefly. He seemed so happy and enthusiastic about everything, even the smallest things – she found it endearing. Her sunglasses lowered after her reaction, she quickly pushed them back into place. He looked at her curiously.

"I have to ask," Danny began with some reluctance in his voice, "Why are you always wearing those sunglasses? It's not a bad look or anything, but it's been overcast all week."

She raised her head to look at him directly and blinked. The sunglasses were dark, but it had a rosy color. It was difficult to determine expressions or even her eye color.

"You said it yourself," She replied, "It's not a bad look. It's versatile enough I think it works with about every article of clothing I have – I guess it compliments everything so much I don't ever want to take them off." She teased herself.

Dawn was about to continue the conversation, but the sudden sound of thunder rumbling prevented her. The two of them looked at nearest window and then at each other. During their time at the gym and their talking the grey weather had finally brought itself to create a storm. She stopped the treadmill and got off the device, approaching the window to get a better look at the outside. It seemed it only recently had started raining. The clouds looked murky off in the distance, which probably meant that the storm had just begun and was probably going to get worse.

She turned to face Danny, "I should probably get going," She frowned, "I brought an umbrella if you want to share."

He was pleasantly surprised by her offer. The two only met up at the gym. He did his usual jog and subway ride to get there, while he assumed that she had a car. It turns out that wasn't the case – she took a taxi to arrive. Danny took her up on her suggestion but it quickly became a little awkward. The two were huddled underneath the umbrella, trying to get the attention of any taxi that came by. It was particularly busy that afternoon as many were trying to hide from and avoid the weather. It finally took him stretching out his arm into the street and waving to get the attention of one of the drivers. Dawn couldn't help but to warn him that he could have injured himself by doing that stunt, but she also had to compliment that she felt it was also quick thinking on his part.

They went to his apartment first as it was closer to the gym than her dorm. He paid his part of the fee, thanked her for the company and said his goodbyes. He put up the hood of his jacket and watched the yellow car drive away. The friendship was still young but he wanted to know more about her. Danny felt he had only scratched the surface of her personality. As his mind wandered, he felt a rumble coming from his phone. He brought it out and saw that he had received a text from his trainer. It was about time! He immediately went to his messages.

 _Hey Dan, sorry about the lack of updates. I know it doesn't seem like it but everything's pretty hectic for the gym right now. Remember that info I talked about a week or two ago? Well, it's finally being revealed tomorrow._

Danny hid under the awnings of the apartment building to prevent himself from getting drenched from the rain. He immediately began writing his response, which was quickly sent out to Mr. Von Gomm:

 _Awesome! I know you can't reveal it but I HAVE to know at least this: is it something worth getting excited about?_

He couldn't help but to stare at his phone. It felt like several minutes passed until the screen showed that his coach was making another text. His reply was short, simple and to the point.

 _Yeah, it is. It's going to be a pretty big deal._


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Danny's text conversation with his trainer continued well after he got back into his apartment. He tried to not bombard the man with questions, but he couldn't help but to ask a few more. However Mr. Von Gomm stood his ground. He only replied with that all will be revealed tomorrow when the 10 AM sports news report happens. That next morning Danny was up early – much to his mother's surprise. He was so eager to know what was going to happen it was around 8 when he woke. Since then, he has been sitting on the couch watching the television intently. His eyes would sometimes move to the clock, quickly checking up on the time. So far the channel had only been showing replays of past events, all of them being sports that he wasn't particularly interested in. It then became 10 and Danny leaned forward in his seat, his eyes glued to the screen.

It began normally enough. The two hosts of the news hour introduced themselves and gave a quick recap on previous stories and their updates. They weren't big enough to warrant their own section in this hour long block of television. It wasn't long, but it felt that way to the anxious Danny. Finally one of them said a special announcement was about to be made in regards to the Spring Gym. The program cut to live footage, as a small stage had been propped up outside of the building. There was a small crowd as photos were being taken.

"We're here with you today-"A voice said, "Hey. I'm down here, guy." The tone of the individual quickly became impatient.

A yellow arm rose up and waved at the lens. The camera shifted and lowered itself, revealing that it was Biff who was commenting on the event. He was famous for being the face and all around mascot to the ARMS League. He was a small, cute little guy. His endearing appearance is what made him so popular. There were collectors of his merchandise that haven't even bothered watching the sport – they just like him for his cute appeal. Despite this, he was an oddity as well. He was roughly humanoid but he had a large oblong shaped head with a fist protruding out of it. No one really knew his origins. He had been the mascot for so long, many people assumed he was some kind of puppet to attract a young demographic to the sport. The people at the ARMS League like him so much he was even used as the announcer of the Grand Prix, but it was rare to see him venture out into public for such an occurrence like today. Danny knew at this moment if this concerned the enigmatic Biff to the point he bothered to show up in person that whatever was going to happen is truly news worthy for the sport. Biff glared at the cameraman briefly, but quickly went back to being all smiles for his audience.

"We're here with you today at the Spring Gym, ladies and gentlemen," Biff introduced the segment again, "You know me – I'm Biff, your trusty ARMS commentator!"

Behind him more people began to huddle as a crowd.

"From my sources Spring Man himself - Sean Reynolds – has a special message for you all," He then turned around, "And it looks like some people even brought some memorabilia of his career!"

The little mascot continued his conversational report until some representatives of the famed gym walked onto the stage along with the man of the hour. Biff attempted the hush the noisy crowd and then looked back at the camera.

"Quiet everyone!" He said excitedly with a quiet but excited tone, "It's about to start!"

The camera shifted its attention and put the focus on the man. It took a moment for it to steady itself. It was at that moment when Danny realized it had been a while since he had last seen Reynolds and how much older he looked. It made him a little sad, actually. The man stood by the podium quietly. It looked as if he was reading some papers that were on the surface of it. The only sounds that were being made were of photographers rampantly taking photos. He sighed and then looked up; his tired expression was exactly in the center of the live camera's view. He adjusted the microphone and made his shoulders relaxed. Danny leaned towards the television set even more out of an eager curiosity – his sitting posture was currently terrible.

"I've come to you all today to say," Sean began with no reluctance in his voice, "I'm officially retiring from my Spring Man role."

Danny's eyes widened and he bolted from his seat shortly after the announcement.

" _WHAT?!_ " He yelled at the screen.

The man began to give his explanation.

"I've been Spring Man for well over 30 years now," He continued, "I will forever be thankful for the opportunities, my career and the people I was lucky enough to meet. It was you – the fans – that kept me motivated in the ARMS community. I will always cherish the time I had with it. Unbeknownst to me however, times have changed. While it was difficult, I accepted that."

Danny was finding it difficult to believe what he was hearing. He even knew that whatever was going to be presented was going to be a big deal, but he was expecting them to announce that they were going to open up a second Spring Gym or something along those lines. To him it was like an era was ending. His entire life that's who Spring Man was – he was Sean Reynolds. It felt sudden, but when he truly analyzed recent events in his career he hadn't done much. That's why so many complaints were thrown at him by more unsavory members of the fandom. Perhaps it truly was time for him to retire. Danny couldn't help but to wonder about his second to final comment however. Times have changed? He didn't understand where Reynolds was coming from and even disagreed with it. He couldn't help but to think it was _him_ that was the one that changed, not the sport.

Danny's mother came into the room in a hurried pace. She looked all over the room before her eyes locked onto her son. She frowned, flashing a confused expression at him.

"What the hell is going on?" She asked.

He then looked at her. His exclaim must have caught her off guard – the eyeliner on her left eye was wiggled and smeared. He sat back onto the couch, slumping a little.

"I'm so sorry for scaring you," He replied, his voice sounding distracted, "Sean Reynolds just announced that he's retiring."

The woman turned towards the television. While she had never bothered to watch any of the sport, she did recognize the name. She approached the sofa and gently put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry," She was entirely sure how to respond, "It was going to happen eventually." She shrugged.

She had a point, but it was still surprising none the less. Danny always felt that something always lead up to something like this happening. The program shifted to showing highlights of Reynolds' career, including his infamous take on the Grand Prix. That footage only made him feel worse for the man. That was his legacy – being a failure to his city and his fans. An idea then sparked in his mind. He continued to watch the screen curiously as it went back to the currently live footage. With a tired smile, the athlete began to speak again.

"However, I'm not just going to disappear," He said, "So you all aren't done with me yet."

A quiet laughter came from some members of the audience.

"I am proud to announce that with my retirement," He continued, his tone sounding like it was leading up to something, "That I will be the head judge to determine who will be the next Spring Man."

Danny jumped up from his seat again excitedly. There was cheering from the crowd, almost matching the reaction the young man just had.

"The actual tournament and voting process will start in the following weeks," Reynolds flipped through some papers that was laying pedestal, "It… officially begins the first week of autumn!" He proudly announced, putting the notes back down.

Danny quickly turned to look at the nearest calendar. While the weather was already becoming crisp and cool, there was still some time until it officially became that season. Despite this, he also knew that the day the competition starts will feel like it arrived quickly.

"Of course, any ARMS athletes that are interested in participating are invited to sign up at the Spring Gym any time," The man continued, "The gym are having some minor renovations right now, but a lot of surprises are in store for our competitors."

The excitement was very real. Danny heard his phone rumble on the side table next to the sofa. He stretched out his arm to grab it. He felt that he didn't even have to check his phone – he _knew_ it was his trainer on the other end. He accepted the call quickly.

"Dude, Mr. Von Gomm!" He exclaimed, "Was this what you were talking about?! Is the gym closed because of the announcement or can I start training now?!"

"I… what?" was the confused response he received.

It took him a moment to realize that it wasn't his coach. It was actually Dawn. This had been the second time he had embarrassed himself in front of this girl. However, this time he wasn't sure what to say or why she was even calling. They exchanged phone numbers after the other day but he did not expect receiving a call from her so quickly.

"Sorry, I didn't know you were expecting another caller," She added with a quiet chuckle in her response, "I'm guessing you heard the news about that gym's mascot?"

He sat himself back down onto the coach animatedly.

"Yeah, of course!" He replied, "I gotta ask, how you know about it? Are you currently there?"

"I'm not," She answered, "It's all over the news – not just on the sport channels and websites."

This made him curious. He started exploring the news stations that were categorized near the one he was watching. She was right – the announcement of this contest was about everywhere. The normal news stations naturally did not spend as much time discussing it as their sports counterparts however. He went back to the original channel he was watching as a usual mix of uneasiness and zeal stirred in him at that moment.

"It's all that's been playing on the TV at my job," Dawn continued, "I saw it and immediately thought of you."

There was a pause as Danny continued looking at the TV.

"Are you going to participate in it?" She asked curiously, "You have a pretty good chance, I think."

He smiled, her comment helped to shake away the hesitance that was brewing.

"Yeah!" Danny answered excitedly, "Like, it's kind of sad that he's retiring but I have been waiting for an opportunity like this for a long time."

His warm expression then faded.

"What channel are you on?" He asked curiously, "None of mine are showing if there's line outside to get in or not."

It took a moment for Dawn to reply. He could faintly hear the sound of objects being moved and papers being pushed aside from the other end.

"Uhh," She started with some hesitance, "I'm on channel five, the local news. They're just showing the stage. Personally I would get there as soon as possible – I mean, it wouldn't hurt."

Even if it was too busy to get properly signed up, it was worth visiting just to see the current state of the gym. The staff removing the majority of art from the property finally made sense. Danny had gone back to his room to find his shoes. When he eventually found them, he struggled to put them on as his phone was sandwiched between his ear and shoulder.

"That figures," He replied, commenting on the footage she was currently watching, "If it's closed it's still probably going to be packed."

He scratched his head and then looked at himself. The young man was still in his sleepwear and looked as if he just got out of bed.

"I'm not presentable to head outside yet," He snickered faintly, "But, hey! I'll let you know what's going on when I get there."

"Sure thing," Dawn replied, "Don't spoil all of it for me – I have a running session scheduled this weekend and I want to be surprised. Good luck, by the way."

"Thanks," Danny responded, "I might need it."

After that exchange the conversation fizzled, with it finishing with a promise to keep in touch. He put his phone aside and began to get ready for the day. Danny stretched out his arm to his drawers and opened them, looking for a casual athletic shirt that would be right for the situation. Once he got his clothes together, he washed up and prepared himself. He wanted to make sure that he would leave something of an impression when he finally gets to introduce himself. He began to rush towards the front door of the apartment in a hurry until he heard his phone ring again. He paused briefly and then ran back to his bedroom to receive it. He fumbled with the device for a moment as he struggled to open the door and answer it at the same time. He felt that it was probably important, hoping that it was a call from his coach.

"Hey Danny," The voice began, "Sorry to ruin your day off, but May called in sick and Victor is still away on vacation."

He had a feeling he should have checked the number before immediately answering the phone – that was his big problem for today. He knew exactly what she was going to ask.

"What I'm trying to say is," She continued, "We're really going to need you when lunchtime hits."

Danny hung his head low and let out a frustrated sigh. He didn't want to tell her no, but at the same time he felt this happened at the absolute worst time. It was somewhat of a drive from the apartment to the restaurant. Given the fact that he was going to be arriving around 12 roughly, traffic was possibly going to be at one of its worsts for the day. He briefly looked at his mother who had her eyes completely locked on him. An eyebrow rose as she slowly lifted her cup of coffee to her lips. With the situation and his parent closely watching him he was aware that his trip to the gym was unfortunately going to have to wait.

"Yeah, I can do that," He eventually responded, scratching the back of his head, "Would it be a problem if I take a different route to the pizzeria?"

At first the woman on the phone seemed a little puzzled by the question.

"It shouldn't be," She answered, "As long as you get here on time."

Danny thanked her for her understanding, even if she wasn't aware of the path he was going to take. The conversation ended quickly and afterwards he swiftly changed into his work clothes. He hurriedly said his goodbyes to his mother and took the family car. It was an older van – certainly a vehicle that had seen better days. It used to be a metallic green but over the years the shininess had faded away, making the once bright color dull. Despite its appearance it is an incredibly reliable car. In many regards, it was really the only car Danny had ever really known. He only had the vaguest of memories of the car his mom had prior to it. He remembered it was small, it had no back doors, and it was some shade of red. The van was significantly more spacious. Regardless, he had pretty much grown up with it and even had most of his driving lessons done in it. While there were moments he longed for a flashier, sportier drive it would be a lie if he said he didn't love that van.

In the outskirts of the apartment complex was a crucial split in the road. Taking the left will lead you to the neighborhood's areas of interest, while the right will eventually take you to the heart of the city. He took the right even though that was getting him further away from his job. He just _had_ to drive by the Spring Gym and see how it was going. It came as no surprise that the traffic became somewhat congested in the gym's surrounding area. Danny rolled down his window and looked out at the sea of cars. He felt right then and there that possibly he made a mistake. It was going to be a massive pain just to turn around and take the route to Petrozzi's Pizza. He had a good excuse if it was going to be bad – traffic got in his way! It didn't entirely explain why he wanted to take the different route, but it worked. Danny's prediction was correct with the gym being busy. He could roughly see some people trying to get in, but it was mostly workers taking down the temporary stage. He also noticed that there were some trucks that were branded with the ARMS League logo. It piqued his curiosity, but he had to remind himself that his coworkers were currently waiting for him at the restaurant.

He arrived at the pizzeria a few minutes shy of twelve. He immediately sat himself next to the nearest table and brought out his phone, typing a message to his coach:

 _DUUUDE WAS THIS WHAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT?! THE CONTEST?_

The man replied shortly afterwards, almost feeling instantaneous.

 _Yep! Sorry that I couldn't share it with you earlier. Upper management said it would be unfair to the other contestants if someone participating in it already knew about the contest. They felt you would have an advantage, if that makes any sense._

Danny began writing his response. He erased it after realizing that Mr. Von Gomm had an additional message.

 _I already got you signed up. I thought it was a given that you wanted to be a part of this._

Danny couldn't help but to snicker. He felt that was almost an understatement. He texted back, his writing a little more professionally this time around:

 _Awesome, thanks! I'm so looking forward to this, you have NO idea. When do we start properly training for this?_

There was a brief delay in his coach's response.

 _Well, for everyone signing up for the competition the training starts today. Only a few guys have shown up. I also would like to get you started today as well, if possible. The ARMS League has given the gym a lot of exclusive stuff to work with._

The young man knew at that moment he wasn't going to let him talk about surprises again.

 _I have to ask, and NO dancing around this, did you get those Cell guys?_

He had to know. It seemed like the gym was already pouring enough money into the contest. It made sense to him that the humanoid punching bags would be there, even if they were fairly new technology. Luckily for Danny his coach didn't seem to be in the mood to tease him.

 _They're here! And they're every bit as weird as I was expecting them to be. Are you up for some training today?_

Of course Danny was. If he could have it his way, that's all today would be focused on. Similarly to how he felt while leaving the apartment earlier it pained him to reject the offer. After he sent the text however, an idea dawned in his mind. After his shift perhaps he could stop by the gym at night and at least check out the premises. While he rarely visited at those hours he knew it remained open for a while. He delivered his suggestion and eagerly awaited Mr. Von Gomm's response, his eyes glued onto the screen. A minute passed, but he eventually answered. Much to Danny's surprise, he said yes! The two agreed to meet up around seven. The real challenge now was to get through the rest of the day.

The restaurant's busy schedule persisted into the week. After one delivery was completed, Danny would be back on the streets again to find the houses for five other pizzas. He wasn't his usually friendly self. Not that he was rude or remotely mean towards the customers, but for once he didn't engage them in casual conversations. He really did seem like a man on a mission – that mission was to complete everything as quickly as possible. Despite this, pizza was his second passion… It was delivered with care, but it was also rushed as well. The hours went by fast when he was juggling so many deliveries and varied addresses scattered across the city. When he went back to the restaurant for the final time that night to hang up his apron and hat, he was absolutely shocked by how much time was lost. It was well after seven now!

He drove as quickly as possible to get to the Spring Gym. As he parked his car and looked out the dashboard window, it didn't look as crazy as it did earlier. It was probably because in the following half hour it was going to close. He frowned briefly, but the floor area would be easier to navigate without all the crowds present. It didn't take him long to find his coach.

He greeted him with a big grin as he set down a box on the nearest table, "Pizza time!"

Mr. Von Gomm looked up from his phone.

He frowned, "You're late."

Danny had already gotten into the pizza. He was halfway finished with his first slice by the time that he caught his trainer's attention. He swallowed his food and then wiped his mouth prior to replying.

"Yeah, sorry about that," He said as he put the pizza slice down, "Work's been kind of a pain lately." He shrugged.

He moved away from the table and began to look around. The gym felt almost abandoned with the lack of advertisements showcasing the gym and its mascot. Danny breathed in and exhaled. It was odd looking at the fitness center in this light; it was sad but exciting as well. He could tell there was a heightened amount of business that happened today. Some extra, temporary boxing rings were installed in the corners as other exercise machines were moved off to the side. Those consumed a lot of room, but they managed to make the most with the space they had. He turned around to look at his coach, clasping his hands eagerly which resulted in a loud 'clap' sound that echoed throughout the quiet room.

"So…" He began, "Where are they?"

Mr. Von Gomm crossed his arms without much of an expression. Behind him, a grey piece of matter stretched up and took shape. After quickly transforming into a more humanoid form, it was revealed it had a big circular mask that was a substitute for a face. The creature curiously leaned itself towards Danny, who instinct stepped away from it. It watched him closely with a great curiosity. The athlete directed an unsure look at the coach, who in return gave him an amused smile.

He stepped away from it, "Here's one of them!" He then put his hands on his shoulders as he looked over the Cell being, "I actually asked it to hide behind me and it understood that. Isn't that wild?"

They were more unnerving in person than they were in the videos. Danny reached out his hand to touch it. The texture of its gelatinous looking body felt unusually slime-like but malleable. The creature merely blinked after being touched. He looked back at his hand and saw that some of the substance remained on his hand. He waved it in an attempt to get it off, with the grey goo eventually landing on the hard floor. The small pile bubbled over until it morphed into a similar shape as the original Cell member did. The two briefly looked at each other, blinked, and then put their singular LED eyes back onto Danny. He couldn't help but to shudder at that.

"I didn't know they could do that," He spoke in disbelief, "They're weird, but are you sure these guys are actually fighting equipment? I mean, the one didn't even react when a part of him became… Another one, I guess." He struggled to describe it.

His coach shrugged, "No, they're very much fighters," He then got behind the original one, "I saw them in action earlier today. They have settings in the back that controls their reactions. This one's currently on the lowest setting – they call it 'stationary' mode."

Danny raised an eyebrow, "What's the highest level?"

The trainer readjusted his glasses and then looked at the text embossed in the plastic a little more closely.

"Uh, it's seven," He answered, "I thought they would make it an even number, but I guess not."

As he closed the panel and looked up from it, he saw that in that short of time that Danny had gotten himself in the nearest ring and already equipped some ARMS brand boxing gloves.

"Come on!" He spoke excitedly, "I wanna see how these guys fight!"

His coach frowned, "Dan, even I haven't seen them at level seven," He replied, "I don't think that's a good idea."

The young man rolled his eyes and coiled his arms.

"They're just goop," Danny frowned back, "I really doubt that they're that heavy of a hitter."

Mr. Von Gomm sighed. He knew that he got the idea in his head now and there was no way of him letting it go until he tries it. Maybe this was a good thing he thought – maybe this would show him unprepared he is for something that the coach very well knew was going to be difficult. He opened the back panel again. Despite their appearance it seemed that they were essentially robots in an unusual shell. He moved a wire aside and put the setting to seven. The yellow eye of the creature shined brilliantly for a moment when it received the input. The other member of the cell fell to the ground and became a part of the original one again. It uncoiled its arms which resembled grey and yellow strands of DNA. It promptly equipped its own pair of boxing gloves and then quietly joined Danny onto the ring.

The trainer stood near the right side of the ring, where the aspiring athlete was currently standing.

"One important thing I need to share," Mr. Von Gomm said, "The Cell, for whatever reason, doesn't start fights. The human fighter always initiates them."

Danny nodded his head and then stared down his opponent. It stood there quietly, awaiting a response from him. He raised his fist in preparation. He could tell by even such a simple movement that the glove he equipped was different from all the others he has used previously. It was bright red in color with metallic, silver highlights to it. It felt comfortable but a little heavy from his unusual fair. He didn't let that weigh him down though – he knew it was something he could get used to quickly. Despite his confidence, he wasn't sure how to start the fight. He was used to the idea of a non-ARMS opponent immediately charging towards him. Several minutes passed and the situation remained exactly the same.

Danny looked at the glove. Near the cuff of it had the name of the model he was using. It was called the Toaster. It was only until then he realized what he had. This was the ARM every ARM fighter has used as least once! It was made famous by many rookies similar to him. The Cell at the other corner of the ring also had its own pair of Toasters. A smirk then appeared on his face as he readied his fists. He brought back his right arm, feeling its coils tighten. He then threw his punch as sparks flew out of the glove. As it raced towards his opponent it merely stared at blazing glove with a blank expression. In a blink of an eye the Cell successfully dodged the attack by ducking down. Danny's arm quickly retracted back to him after he missed his target. With eyes wide, he watched as the being bounced up and sent both of its toasters flying towards him with incredible speed. Before he felt he even had the opportunity to move aside he was struck, lost his balance and fell to the ground with a loud 'thud.' The Cell, meanwhile, landed and stood there peacefully as if nothing violent happened.

His coach quickly ran towards where he landed from outside of the ring's perimeters, "Are you okay?!" He exclaimed.

Danny blinked as he was looking directly at one of the lights on the gym's ceiling. He obscured it with his hand as he let out a groan.

"Yeah," He answered, "I'm trying level two next time."


End file.
